How to learn to collaborate effectively using this learning community and it’s resources

1. Read this blog – darrensmithsblog.com is focused on helping individuals learn to collaborate effectively by sharing ideas, tools, statistics, quotes and stories to help them on their collaboration journey. For example, posts in the blog’s category folder called ‘skillfully using your talents’ is where you find exercises to help you turn your talents into strengths. Read post #1 of 25+ for more detail on how to do it. Check back each Monday to view the latest posts. You can email specific questions or requests to darrensmith@cimastrategic.com .

2. Join the the Collaboration Academy Linked-In group is focused on helping organizations learn HOW to realize what life would be like if all their teams collaborated effectively. Secondly, participate by answering others’ questions and sharing your collaboration content freely.

How to use the blog posts in the ‘SkillfullyUsingYourTalentsToCollaborateEffectively’ folder

This talent concentration I have characterizes me as a Trail Blazer. I’ll take-on something that’s never been done before and I can move mountains. For example, helping an individual or organization make a behavioral/cultural shift.

That’s good to know, but how do I use this information to benefit me and my organization?

Knowing yourself and team members in your organization in terms of talents or ‘how you best get work done’ helps your organization collaborate effectively to achieve its objectives. The reason I’m posting these ideas is to help you learn, practice and acquire skills to turn your talents into strengths.

Become clear on why you’re doing this. Why are you learning to skillfully use your talents? It should be to help you more accurately and frequently achieve your BIG WHY – satisfaction, not your business why – success or collaborating effectively. Here’s a link to an article to help you create your BIG WHY.

Decide where you are going to acquire the knowledge and skills to help move yourself from talent to strength. For example, you might utilize the Gallup Strengths Center you tube channel for content and organize a monthly brown bag to talk about a specific talent video.

Decide on a sustainable frequency or pace for acquiring knowledge and skill and practicing – I call this a rhythm. If you develop a rhythm, you have a better chance of following-through. In other words, what gets scheduled, tends to get done. Also, go small, so start with scheduling a specific date and time monthly for an hour.

What are milestones you would like to reach? What would you like to be able to do or avoid as a result? What are the primary, secondary and tertiary implications if you are successful? What is the payoff? A primary milestone could be evidence of an established rhythm for learning how to turn your talents into strengths. A secondary milestone would be a noticeable improvement in how you respond when others’ talents that rubbed with yours don’t anymore or not as much. Instead of feeling frustrated like in the past, you now ask that person to bring that specific talent to bear on an issue you need to solve. A tertiary milestone would be someone in your organization starting to learn to collaborate effectively on their own initiative because of your example.

Who could keep you accountable for following-through? A colleague, coach or family member?

Check back each Monday to view my latest post. Turning your talents into strengths takes study and practice. The intent of this weekly blog post is to help you follow-through for the next six months of your journey.